Beside ensuring that chemical reactions and products are environmentally friendly, green and sustainability chemistry should focus on curbing other human activities that impact negatively on the environment and Earth’s biocapacity. Prevalent practices of bush burning, indiscriminate waste dumps and incessant carbon emission from gas flair and fossil fuel need to be examined and curbed. To effectively do this will depend on individuals and their levels of awareness. This study investigated the level of awareness and practice of green and sustainability chemistry among chemistry teachers in colleges and universities in Southern Nigeria. Two null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significant. One hundred and twenty teachers, 60 each from colleges and university randomly selected constituted the sample. A validated instrument, a 25 item questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were analyzed using t-test statistic. The results showed low level of awareness and practice of green chemistry among all respondents. Teachers’ gender had no significant influence on their level of green chemistry awareness and practice. The results underscore the essence of introducing the concept of green and sustainability chemistry in the college and university curricular.

P307: Do chemistry teachers care to know what becomes of their ex-students?

Author: Kunle Oloruntegbe, Adekunle Ajasin University, Nigeria

Co-Author:

Date: 8/4/14

Time: 3:40 PM – 4:00 PM

Room: ASH 2302

Related Symposium: S23

Chemistry as a vocation is meant to prepare high school students for careers in chemical and allied industries after graduation and for higher studies. Teachers should have a good knowledge of how their ex-students are faring. There should be a follow-up schedule and sensitization program in this respect. As of now there is neither a research report nor data revealing the transition of students into the world of work or higher studies in Nigeria. This paper investigated this scenario with a view to preparing chemistry teachers not only to focus on student-centered learning and teaching that could make the students productive, but also to do a constant follow-up of their ex-students. This research, which covered fifty chemistry teachers in Ondo State, Nigeria made use of a validated form for data collection. It was discovered that only a few teachers had knowledge of what became of just a few of their ex-students. There is therefore the need to get the teachers interested in what the students become in future.

P297: Food chemistry: Learning beyond classroom and using resources in the community

Author: Kunle Oke Oloruntegbe, Adekunle Ajasin University, Nigeria

Co-Author: Akinsete Aarinola Musilimat

Date: 8/4/14

Time: 2:05 PM – 2:25 PM

Room: MAN 102

Related Symposium: S22

Learning outside the classroom has important contributions to make to chemistry education. Consolidating lab and classroom learning making use of experts and resources outstations makes learning more meaningful and relevant; this is aside from motivation and interest that food itself brings no matter the location. Ninety Senior Secondary students from a location in Ondo State, Nigeria divided into three groups and exposed to (1) lab and classroom activities, (2) lab, classroom and outstation activities and (3) the traditional classroom discussion for the same length of time were pretested and post tested to generate data that provided answers to two research questions and tests of two hypotheses of no significant difference between mean scores of participants. There were significant differences as the effort proved facilitative, best for the lab, classroom and outstation group and least for the traditional class discussion group. Recommendations were made for a combined use of lab, classroom and resources in the community for effective teaching and learning of organic, especially food chemistry.